Coffee and Tea: The Two Most Popular Health Beverages

Tea and coffee and two of the most popular beverages in the world and only come second to water in terms of consumption. Hoards of people all over the world start (sometimes also end) their days with a steaming cup of tea of coffee. Both of these are caffeinated beverages and help the mind stay alert. Both tea and coffee are consumed by people several times during the day. In fact, in some countries, these are consumed several times in one day. To know more about the origins, benefits to delve into an interesting comparison between these two, read on below!

Origin and Benefits of Tea

There is a popular story that tea was discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung who was tending to a pot of boiling water under a tree in 2737 B.C. As the emperor stood in front of the pot, a stray blew in leaves from a wild tree which fell into the water. Almost instantly, the color of the water changed and the Emperor was struck by a distinct aroma.

On tasting this brew, he was impressed by the flavor and the aroma and shared the discovery with his court officials. It is from here that the story of tea begins. Later, the discovery of tea spread to the rest of the world via merchants, traders, travellers and political agreements.

Tea is today drunk all over the world. Recently, varieties of tea like green tea and Oolong tea have become popular in the western world as a health remedy. Tea is known as a popular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which can boost immunity and even improve cardiovascular health!

Origin and Benefits of Coffee

Coffee is made from the seeds of a cherry-like fruit which is often described to smell like jasmine blossoms. It was first discovered in Ethiopia and became popular when people found that on drinking a brew made from crushed seeds of the coffee plant, they experienced a strange alertness. Initially, it was the leaves of the coffee plant which was seeped in boiled water to create the concoction.

Coffee is widely preferred in the countries of North America and some of its preparations are extremely strong. Although coffee reduces the risk of heart diseases with regular consumption, it is found that too much intake of coffee can increase bad cholesterol in the body. Given below is a comparison of these two beverages.

Tea vs. Coffee

Although tea and coffee are almost always head to head, it is found that both these brews have certain pros and cons. While the flavor palette of tea differs greatly, coffee has a more consistent taste. This must not be taken to mean that different types of coffee brews do not exist. However, the choices with tea are always more varied. On the other hand, most varieties of tea have a strong astringent taste which is not preferred by many. If you are looking for high caffeine content, coffee is the best choice, while health-conscious individuals might want to choose tea over coffee.